"It's nothing very serious, but can be serious" - Back injury forces Joao Fonseca to withdraw from Adelaide International with impending Australian Open now a doubt

Joao Fonseca has had a bumpy start to his 2026 campaign. He has recently pulled out of the Adelaide International after back pain forces him to skip a second tournament on the spin, with the Australian Open looming perilously close.

This should be a period where Fonseca shakes off the rust after the off-season concluded, with the Brazilian set to continue his march up the rankings, showcasing the stunning potential he holds within on the court.

It was proved numerous times throughout 2025, with the young talent clinching two ATP titles in a breakout year. The first came at the start in the Argentina Open, where he got the better of home-hero Francisco Cerundolo to claim his maiden ATP title at the age of 18, becoming the youngest South American to achieve this feat. He went one better later in the year, upgrading that 250 title to a 500 in the Swiss Indoors, overcoming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in an incredible display.

An early exit in the Paris Masters spelt the end of his season. After playing in an exhibition event against world number one Carlos Alcaraz, he pulled out of his title defence in the Next Gen ATP Finals. He had planned to feature in both the Brisbane International and Adelaide International, but both plans have gone up in smoke due to this lower back injury, getting in the way of what should be him challenging for more titles in Australia.

"Unfortunately I'm not able to play here," Fonseca said in a press conference. "It's difficult to make this decision. I felt those days that we were practising, every day feeling a little bit better, but it's difficult to say that I'm a hundred per cent."

With the Australian Open right around the corner, the sensible decision is to put that as the primary goal while overlooking these smaller competitions heading into it. While the preparation would have been welcomed by the Brazilian, he is putting his slight injury concern as priority. "We are trying our best to recover a hundred per cent to play the Australian Open, which is our main goal," he confirmed. "That decision is not made. We want to play, we think that it's going to be possible. So we want to focus on the recovery, and unfortunately I couldn't play here, and I hope to come back stronger next year."

For Fonseca fans, the good news is that it is not a serious back injury, but it could be bad enough to see him entirely skip the major event in Melbourne after bursting onto the scene last year when defeating Andrey Rublev in straight sets.

"I was born with something in my back and sometimes it's more tight," Fonseca stated, explaining the injury. "I already had a stress fracture five years ago, but it's something that it's going to be in my body, so I need to deal with it. I'm just trying my best to recover. We did a MRI, and it's nothing very serious, but can be serious, so we want to be a hundred per cent to play."

The Australian Open is set to commence from January 18 - February 1, with the best players in the world set to lock horns in search for the coveted trophy at Melbourne Park. Fonseca will be desperately hoping to feature in some capacity, and so will the passionate Brazilian fans who seem to follow him around the world cheering on their starboy, with him destined to reach the very top.